De Volkskrant as a Digital Service

Abstract

This thesis has been written to conclude the master’s programs Design for Interaction and Communication Design for Innovation. The focus of this thesis is on the digital transformation within the de Volkskrant organisation and was commissioned by DPG Media, de Volkskrant’s parent company.
Since the digital transformation started, de Volkskrant has been struggling to keep up with technological developments. Partly because they rely on DPG Media to facilitate the infrastructure of their digital products, but within the de Volkskrant organisation, there is a lack of vision on what de Volkskrant should be as a digital medium. Therefore, this thesis explores the possibilities and challenges de Volkskrant currently faces and how the context, readers and organisation all play a role in that.
I used two methods; Human-Centred Design(UCD) and Design-Based Research (DBR). From this research, I concluded that the service that should be designed for de Volkskrant should be a mobile application. The interaction vision for this mobile application is the following: The mobile app guides the de Volkskrant reader through the articles and archives of de Volkskrant. It supports them in learning new things and exploring new perspectives. After reading digital news, readers feel in control, empowered, and accomplished. Additionally, some advice to the de Volkskrant organization was developed: By becoming a digital-first organisation, de Volkskrant can accelerate its digital transformation. It should play to its strengths of being a brand that readers go to for its good analytical articles and columnists. Additionally, it should use the development of its digital products as opportunities for change by involving all levels of the organisation into the design process. Thus, the result of this thesis is a proposal for a mobile app design as well as advice for the de Volkskrant organisation on how to accelerate the transition to a digital-first mindset and utilise the design process along the way to incite change within the company. To summarise, de Volkskrant should implement features into the mobile implication such as Dossiers, that bundle articles, and Overview, which provide a visual overview of articles, to not only create a better reading experience but to increase collaboration between departments as well.